Recently, while working with leaders from a large public sector organization who are engaged in a year-long leadership development program, I was prompted to remind them, “You do not have to ask for permission to lead.”
Too often our organization and civic cultures condition leaders to think they must ask for permission to lead, act or make change. Over time, this behavior constrains our ability to be agile, open and aware of opportunities to lead when they present themselves.
While our country is on the cusp of installing new leadership in Washington, the message to all leaders is:
1. For every leader to be effective, they must have a plan.
2. A plan implies that the leader has strategic direction and priorities.
3. Leaders must choose to be accountable and committed to measuring their effectiveness.
4. Effective leaders know that they can’t go it alone.
5. Leaders don’t ask for permission to lead, they just do it.
Tags: Change, Leadership
November 10, 2008 at 1:30 pm |
[...] Leaders do not ask for permission. « Patti Choby [...]
November 11, 2008 at 1:29 pm |
and leaders don’t spend a year trying to develop leadership–how can a leader be taught by sheep?
November 11, 2008 at 3:48 pm |
A good leader does ask for permission to lead every day through their actions and leadership. Through these actions they gain the trust without which they can’t lead. This trust gives the leader the ability not to ask permission for any particular action.